Luck Be A Lady
by ilovetvalot
Summary: Written in response to Bonus Challenge #22 on TV Prompt Challenge: One Tree Hill - "Pictures of You". When JJ makes an unexpected discovery in David Rossi's desk, will his explanation suffice? Twoshot.
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note: Hello, readers! A couple of notes for you today.**_

_**First, please remember to stop by our forum, "Chit Chat on Author's Corner" and grab a nomination ballot for the first EVER Profiler's Choice Awards! You have NINE days remaining to nominate your picks and we'd love to hear from each one of you. Come, help us make sure that your favorite stories and authors get the recognition that they deserve.**_

_**Also at the forum, signups for our first ever ff. net based "Criminal Minds Christmas Gift Fic Exchange" are underway! All you need to do is reply to the thread at the forum or send us a PM telling us 1) Which pairings you would feel comfortable writing, 2) the central pairing you'd like to be featured in the story you receive as a Christmas gift, and 3) Name a Christmas carol plus three Christmas-y prompts you'd like to see in the story you receive as a Christmas gift (you'll only have to use three of the four items in the actual fic). Assignments will be given on November 1st and you'll have until DECEMBER 25, 2010 to post your gift. Further details are available at the forum. Please, let's make this a Merry Christmas for ALL!**_

_**And, please join us at the forum as we get to know another fellow talented author, Faith4000 in our "Getting To Know" series of interviews.**_

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**Luck be a Lady**

_**Prompt: One Tree Hill - "Pictures of You"**_

**Chapter One**

You never know where the answers to life's unasked questions are going to come from. Hell, what woman hasn't wondered at least once how a man really feels about her? It wasn't as though you could simply ask in this day and age.

No, sadly, that was now perceived as weak...needy. Now, a girl was forced to be a hell of a lot more stealthy when she wanted answers to that all meaningful question.

Or, sometimes, she just gets incredibly lucky.

Jennifer Jareau had never been stealthy. But…lucky? That was another story.

Lucky was her middle name.

But as she sat in his oversized leather chair, staring down at the contents of his desk drawer guiltily, she began to wonder. He'd sent her in here, right? And while he hadn't given her express permission to rifle through the contents of his desk, he had asked her if she wouldn't mind grabbing his checkbook for him. That offered her blanket permission, right?

Sure it did. At least in her mind it did.

Regardless, that would be her defense, she thought resolutely, shooting a quick glance at the ajar door to his office as she fingered one of the worn pictures displayed in his desk.

Her and Henry...taken about three months after the bastard had left her high and dry. How old was Henry in that picture, she asked herself, peering closer. Six months...seven, tops.

Her baby was almost two years old now. And while David Rossi was a huge influence in her developing son's life...his favorite influence if truth be told...it still didn't account for the pictures of her.

Gnawing her lower lip, indecision took over. Had he meant for her to find these dog eared snapshots of her and her son? Was sending her in here on some arbitrary search his way of subliminally sharing his feelings for them? Was he trying to convey some unspoken message that he couldn't find the words to share verbally?

Or, was it mere coincidence, she asked herself, fingering a picture of the three of them together at last year's Christmas party, Henry held high against Dave's chest as the elder man laughed down at him, Rossi's arm wrapped securely around her waist. Maybe this center drawer was merely a catchall for all those things that had no other place. But, that didn't explain the worn edges of the photograph...the fingerprints marring the glossy surface.

Someone…and she knew who…had been viewing these pictures…over and over and over.

"Jen?" a deep voice asked from the doorway, catching her by surprise. "Did you find it?" David Rossi asked, striding confidently over the threshold.

Caught red handed, JJ blushed, dropping the pictures on the desk with fingers that actually tingled. "I...uh...I..."

Jaw tightening as he watched the photographs flutter to the surface, landing on his blotter with a whisper. "Been snooping?" he asked tightly, cursing his choked voice.

"Dave..."

"My checkbook is right in front of you," Dave said evenly, nodding at the black leather holder on the center of his desk. Grimacing as he watched her fingers slide against one of the telling photographs, he cursed himself for not remembering that he had hastily swept all of those pictures into his desk earlier. What must she be thinking?

"I honestly didn't see it there," JJ whispered, wondering if her cheeks appeared as hot as they felt, the flame seeming to grow stronger by the second. "You sent me in here to find..."

"My checkbook," Dave replied tightly, cutting her off. "Not to rifle through my desk," he muttered, turning to close his office door. The walls had ears in this place, and he didn't particularly want the world privy to the intimate details of his life. Not that there'd been anything sordid to report in years. The woman in front of him and her tiny little boy had ensured that.

And he wasn't exactly certain how he had allowed that to happen.

"Why are you so angry?" JJ said softly, noting his full compressed lips and flashing eyes with confusion.

Why was he so angry? He had sent her in here on an errand. She had just been doing what he requested, hadn't she? Be honest with yourself, Rossi. You're pissed because you aren't nearly as adept at covering your tracks as you used to be. And you just got busted because of it. The David Rossi of just a mere ten years ago would have never allowed himself to be found out in such an easy method…not at all.

Now, the question...how to play this?

"I'm not," Dave stated gruffly, sliding his checkbook into the inside pocket of his jacket, his motions far more jerky than he intended. "Just surprised by how thoroughly you were willing to search," he shrugged, attempting to defuse the obvious tension in the room.

Making a face, JJ gestured toward the pictures, her eyes lingering for a moment on the center picture with Rossi holding her son. "Are we even going to recognize the pink elephant in the office with us?"

"Hadn't given it a lot of thought," Dave mumbled, picking at an invisible piece of lint on his sleeve. Damn that woman and her tenacity. Surely he could find some way to deflect, couldn't he?

"Dave!" JJ growled in frustration, her shoulders straightening as she pushed up in his comfortable office chair.

"What?" he asked innocently, dropping his gaze to where her nail tapped against his most recent photograph of her and Henry. "They're pictures," he said carelessly, attempting to dismiss her inference.

"I know what they are, Dave," JJ said quietly, searching his impassive face, finding no obvious clues. "I want to know why you have them."

"Everybody has pictures, JJ," Dave replied reasonably, keeping his voice low and even. "And I'm sure if you check the desk of our team, you'll find more than one of you and Henry floating around."

"You're probably right," JJ nodded, keeping her eyes trained on his face, searching for any tell to let her know that these pictures meant what she hoped they did. Her heart seemed to beat faster as she added, "But they'd have pictures of other people as well."

"So?" Dave said impatiently. Like a dog with a bone, Jennifer Jareau wasn't letting it go. That focused gaze held him nailed to the floor...and if he wasn't careful, he was going to be exposed. But would that really be such a bad thing, his conscience demanded. If she wasn't at least a little interested, she'd have accepted his pat explanation and moved on, wouldn't she?

Or was this the moment he had been hoping for but dared not dream of?

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_**Author's Note 2 - Also guys, please don't forget that if you'd like to advertise the awards on your own profile pages or stories, there's a short blurb on my (ilovetvalot) and Tonnie's (tonnie2001969) profile page for you to copy and paste if you choose! **_

_**Again, thanks to everyone reading, reviewing, alerting and favoriting this story!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's Note: Hello, readers! A couple of notes for you today.**_

_**First, please remember to stop by our forum, "Chit Chat on Author's Corner" and grab a nomination ballot for the first EVER Profiler's Choice Awards! You have EIGHT days remaining to nominate your picks and we'd love to hear from each one of you. Come, help us make sure that your favorite stories and authors get the recognition that they deserve.**_

_**So, c'mon, guys, let's all get motivated and choose some of this site's most deserving authors and stories to share with our friends! We're heading into our last week of nominations and while we've had a great response so far, we'd love to hear from EACH of you. Let your opinion be heard!**_

_**Also at the forum, signups for our first ever ff. net based "Criminal Minds Christmas Gift Fic Exchange" are underway! All you need to do is reply to the thread at the forum or send us a PM telling us 1) Which pairings you would feel comfortable writing, 2) the central pairing you'd like to be featured in the story you receive as a Christmas gift, and 3) Name a Christmas carol plus three Christmas-y prompts you'd like to see in the story you receive as a Christmas gift (you'll only have to use three of the four items in the actual fic). Assignments will be given on November 1st and you'll have until DECEMBER 25, 2010 to post your gift. Further details are available at the forum. Please, let's make this a Merry Christmas for ALL!**_

_**And, please join us at the forum as we get to know another fellow talented author, Faith4000 in our "Getting To Know" series of interviews.**_

* * *

**Luck Be A Lady**

**Chapter Two**

"So, these pictures are only of Henry, me and the odd one of you with us," JJ replied, tapping each snapshot for emphasis, laying out her case as skillful as any prosecuting attorney. "There's nobody else in these photographs, Dave."

Dropping his gaze to the familiar pictures, Dave lifted his chin defiantly, merely raising one brow as he stared at her inquisitive eyes.

"What does it mean, Dave?" JJ asked softly, her blue gaze caressing his face gently.

"What do you think it means, JJ?" Dave lobbed back quickly, employing his favorite interrogation technique of answering a question with another question. Ha! Take that, Ms. Inquisitive!

"You want me to profile you?" JJ asked archly, lifting an eyebrow heavenward. "I thought you had rules about that sort of thing."

Shit. Now, look at the steaming pile of crap you stepped in, Rossi. "I'll make an exception," Dave stated evenly, not backing down an inch. Allowing her the upper hand now would be a suicide mission, and he definitely wasn't the type to fall on his sword. Let her fill in the blanks while you give evasive answers, he thought quickly. You MIGHT get to keep a modicum of your dignity that way.

But, watching as her sparkling eyes danced, somehow, he doubted it. He had seen that look before when she was about to tear down unsuspecting journalists.

"Okay," JJ replied slowly, rising from his chair to walk around his desk. Leaning against the front casually, she crossed her long legs in front of her, well aware of the impact that part of her anatomy could have on the opposite sex. "I think you meant for me to find those pictures," she said carefully.

"Why would I do that, JJ?" Dave asked evenly, dropping his hands into the front pockets of his jeans as he faced her squarely. He wasn't about to provide her one shred of information, and he wasn't above making her work for any iota she might find.

Licking her lips as her mouth went dry, JJ focused on the man in front of her. The man that had made it a point to be there for every milestone in her young son's life since Will had left. The guy who could make her heartbeat flutter with just a look. The only person who she could imagine having a future with...if he wanted it. And she was definitely beginning to believe that he just might indeed want it. "I think it was your way of telling me that we're important to you. That we matter."

"You already know that," Dave shrugged, carefully gauging her words as he prepared his responses. "Why would I hide it?"

"Because you weren't sure if you were important to us," JJ answered simply, watching closely as his eyes narrowed at her words. "So, you bided your time and looked at your pictures and imagined having the family you wanted...only now, you aren't sure if what you're seeing in the pictures is real...or a facade," she said, holding up a picture of the three of them at Henry's last birthday party. Happy. Laughing. Together. "You aren't sure if you're a part of this family or not. And I think, that you've been waiting for me to tell you."

"Well," Dave hedged, his eyes drawn to the photograph like a moth to a flame, "IF everything you said was accurate, what would you tell me?"

"I'd tell you to quit hiding behind your pictures and tell me what you want," JJ volleyed back, cocking her head.

"Is that a demand, Agent Jareau?" Dave smirked, enjoying the bright eyes and flushed cheeks displayed before him. Somehow, things seemed to suddenly be brighter…more vibrant.

"More of an adamant request," JJ countered, holding her breath as he moved toward her, the atmosphere around her crackling with the energy between them.

"So, you think you have me figured out, huh?" he asked softly, stopping in front of her, leaving a bare inch between them.

Straightening, JJ faced him head on and answered the question as truthfully as she ever had in her life. "I really, really hope so. I'm not a huge fan of making a fool of myself, Dave."

"Neither am I," Dave returned with a small self-deprecating smile, drawn into her deep blue eyes. "Why do you think I've kept my mouth shut?"

"So, I was right?" JJ asked in almost surprise, wide-eyed as she stared up at him.

"Your analysis was accurate. Well, about everything except me wanting you to find the pictures...I never thought about you going through my desk," Dave shrugged, taking a half step forward to close the last few centimeters between them. "And honestly, when I saw you sitting there looking at them, part of me thought you'd be less than thrilled that an old man was ogling pictures of you."

"First, you don't ogle. You might occasionally leer. But you never ogle," JJ smiled, welcoming him into her space. "Second, I've never once thought of you as old. Don't get me wrong...I've applied lots of other adjectives to you...stubborn...infuriating..."

"You can stop now," Dave chuckled, his hands bracketing in her slim body against the desk. "I think I get the point."

"But I hadn't even got to my creative words," JJ teased, his unique woodsy smell a welcome invasion as she took a deep breath.

"I think we could both think of some much more creative uses for those lips of yours though," Dave murmured, his mouth descending toward hers.

And standing in the center of his arms, returning his hungry kiss, JJ knew...there really was something to be said for sheer, dumb luck.

_**Finis**_

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_**Author's Note 2 - Also guys, please don't forget that if you'd like to advertise the awards on your own profile pages or stories, there's a short blurb on my (ilovetvalot) and Tonnie's (tonnie2001969) profile page for you to copy and paste if you choose! **_

_**Again, thanks to everyone reading, reviewing, alerting and favoriting this story!**_


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